


dates.

by joshfun



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, M/M, joshler - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-09
Updated: 2016-03-09
Packaged: 2018-05-25 17:21:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6204100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joshfun/pseuds/joshfun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>March 9, 2016</p><p>March 8, 2016</p><p>March 7, 2016</p><p>The dates got closer and closer but he doesn't understand, the dates never change. This boy's did, his death date got closer and closer, what was going on?</p><p>*WARNING*<br/>some chapters could be considered triggering with suicidal thoughts, maybe brief self-harm,  abuse and anxiety/panic attacks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

  
**03/01/2016**  
 **March 1, 2016**

 

 

Today was Josh's first day at his new school. A new start, a fresh pallet.

Upon first arrival, everyone was already staring at the red haired boy. Apparently starting a new school in the middle of a semester was uncommon on top of having an unnatural hair color. Numbers flashed before his eyes as he tried to jog to the principal's office. They almost overran his vision. Some students had more time than others while some had only a few days. It was a curse Josh would call it, others would call it a gift but they've never dealt with it personally.

Pushing up his sunglasses on his nose, he timidly knocked on the nontransparent glass door, it was almost as if it was full of clouds, dark and intimidating clouds. A cough interrupted his thoughts. He was thankful, if they (his thoughts) went any further, they would start talking and Josh didn't like when they talk.

"So Mr. Dun, here's your schedule, I'll have to-"

'You'll never have someone care for you again,' he was thinking about him again. Ever since that happened nothing was ever really the same to Josh. Nobody could ever replace the seemingly empty hole that was left behind in the wreckage.

Not paying attention to what the teacher or whoever the hell the person giving him his schedule is, he grabbed the said schedule and the hall pass from their hands and made it out of the severely small office.

No matter how many times Josh tried, he could never see his own numbers much to his dismay. He just wanted a warning, a reminder that his life was ending sooner than later. He would never do anything to stop it as he welcomed death with open arms. Josh stops his thoughts before he has an existential crisis right before walking into his first period class.

He opened the eerie looking door as it made a loud creak, making the whole class know of his presence. At least 20 pairs of eyes were on his semi-short being, making him feel uncomfortable. The teacher quickly walked over to him and asked for his pass and asked if he wanted to be introduced. Of course Josh said no, that he didn't want interrupt anymore than he already did. Mr. Healy, Josh recently discovered, told him it was fine and that he wasn't doing anything wrong but brushed it off and told him to take a seat.

Quickly shuffling to the back of the class, Josh quietly placed his stuff on the desk and sat down right after doing so. He tried to pay attention to the English Literature lecture Mr. Healy was presenting on some of the Edgar Allen Poe poems, which were some of Josh's favorites, but no matter how hard he tried to concentrate, the voices took over as usual.

'Why are you even here? Huh? Do you think you have a chance at a decent life?'

'You think you'll actually get a career? Hah, pitiful!'

'Why do you even try, Josh? You can never make it with the guilt of him on your shoulders.'

'It's all your fault, Josh. You don't have a chance.'

"I do have a chance," Josh murmured to himself under his breath as he cancelled out the voices the best he could with tears brimming his golden brown almond shaped eyes. He quickly wiped a stray tear off his cheek leading down to his chin. Why did he let them get to him? He knows he shouldn't but sometimes you can't hold back every time. Unfortunately this time it was on his first day being in a new school, in a new neighborhood, with a fresh start.

He couldn't help but look up at all the red digits above everyone's head. Everybody in front of him had relatively a good amount of time ahead of them, maybe living up to their 80s while others maybe 90s. There were a few unfortunate souls that only will live to their 50s but that's about as low as the numbers g— wait.

He saw the back of a male who seemed not that much taller than Josh himself, wearing a simple black hoodie and a red beanie sat on top of short brown hair and you can slightly see the black earbuds peaking out, showing he was probably not paying attention to the lesson. The boy, the poor boy, had the date of an exact month floating in the air above his head. This is why Josh hates this stupid curse. He doesn't want to know when people around him are supposed to die and the fact he knows the date doesn't change makes it worse. Sometimes he wishes he could change it, if only he could he would have a long, long time ago. But life doesn't always go in the way you want it to, especially if you were Josh.

****

All throughout the day Josh noted he had all of the same classes as the poor red beanie boy. I mean he had most classes with a lot of people as it was a fairly small school. A small school filled with snobby know-it-all kids who think they're all that, just wait till they're older and realized they should have focused on their education more. Wow, Josh can't believe he "said" those things, Josh the fuck school type of guy. I guess people do change.

On the semi-long walk home Josh noticed the same boy he couldn't help but not take his eyes off. The boy intrigued him to say the least and he hated it. Josh knows better to not get attached to people like him. He knew not to get attached to those with dates that were so close, so soon because it hurts. It hurts so much to know a huge thing is going to happen to them and he can't do anything about it. Hell, he can't even warn them or else they'd think he's crazy. On top of that he never knows how they are going to die. He always wonders if it would be painful and torturously slow or not painful and as quick as he would hope. Josh could never imagine one of his 'friends' dying in such ways. It's godawful, all these thoughts, this concept, the whole way this works.

Falling asleep was the worst with thoughts like this on his mind. He could never fall asleep when he wanted to, his brain thinking constantly, loud thoughts never leaving. And the worst of them all is when the bright red numbers haunt his sleep, all the people he's seen in his life die like this. All the people he wishes he could have warned at the very least. He couldn't even look his mother or father in the eyes. He could never tell them they were dying and who is going to die before the other. He hates having this ability, why him out of all people possible. It could have been anyone else besides him. Most of the time when these nightmares would occur, he wishes that it was all some sort of twisted dream his mind would come up with but as all of us, he has to face the harshness of reality.

'We're only helping you, Joshua.'


	2. Chapter 2

**03/02/2016**  
**March 2, 2016**

_*chapter may be triggering*_

It seemed like hours before Josh could fully fall asleep with his parents arguing and the thoughts in his head but when it finally came, it was shortly lived. Around 4 am, it seemed like his life froze in time. Sirens erupted his sleep, loud and clear he heard them as footsteps pounded up the stairs to the same floor he was asleep on.

He rushed to his door, stumbling with tiredness as he slammed open his inconvenient at the moment door. He could see the white, blue and red lights shining through the sheer curtains as loud yelling filled his senses along with the sirens.

He should have known, he should have looked. One look and he could have warned them, warned them both but he told himself not to. Losing him was bad but this, this has got to be the worst. He couldn't hate himself more in this moment than any other, he could have tried his hardest. Why? Why would life do this to him? What did he ever do to life to deserve this?

Nothing, the answer is nothing. He hasn't done anything wrong. Josh has never done anything that could cause him this amount of bad luck, the worst of luck more like.

Tears streamed down his face as his knees buckled, not being able to hold the weight of his own small body.

The harshness in reality made him angry. Rage quickly filled his body, the adrenaline making him want to punch something getting stronger by the second. He foolishly decided to punch the doorframe he collapsed next to.  After the first punch, it relieved some of the built up anger inside his mind. Of course he wanted more relief so he punched the wall this times and more than once, making his knuckles bloody.

Regret flooded his mind as he started to feel the pain ricksha through his arm. He changed his position from sitting to being curled up in fetal position up against the wall. Sadness was all he could feel (along with the pain) and at the moment he wished he had more. He wished he could be happy like before his mind came crashing down, before his world crumbled.

He didn't want to resort to his old ways, he never wanted to. He told himself that he would never ever do anything like he had done in his past. But promises are meant to be broken. Josh shakily stood up and stumbled to his ensuite bathroom. He quickly smashed the head of one of his razors and tightly gripped the sharpest blade. Blood oozed out of a cut in the palm of his hand as he shivered at the feeling. He took the blade to his wrist and stalled for a second, thinking of his other options but quickly resumed his original plan.

Tyler was making his way to school on his usual route when up ahead he saw the flashing lights of an ambulance. Not wanting to pass by the tragedy, he turned around and decided to take the longer way to school. He felt bad for whoever the ambulance was for because it could be anyone in the vehicle and maybe they couldn't help it.

He's been there, done that, when his brother pushed him down the stairs and he couldn't move to pick himself up off the ground. Turns out he broke his arm and twisted his ankle.

"Thanks Zack," Tyler mumbles out loud as it catches the ears and eyes of a few other people he had walked by. The street he was now walking on is the busiest street that you could walk on to get to the hellhole people call school.

As he walked into the doors, the bell goes off for first period so he heads to the office to get marked as late and get a hall pass. When he arrived to his locker he stands there to ponder. He ponders about the ambulance in front of the suburban home. Was the ambulance there for an older person or a younger person? Oh well, Tyler thinks as he slams his locker shut after grabs all the supplies he needs for his first three periods that are halfway across the school.

Upon arrival, Tyler notices everyone's presence except the pair of eyes that followed him around yesterday. It felt odd without the red head's lingering gaze throughout the whole day and it made him frown at the thoughts of the ambulance possibly being for the said young boy. He saw him walk on the opposite side of the sidewalk and to the suburban house he saw this morning.

By the end of the day, Tyler was debating whether or not he should go to the unknown boy's house to see if everything is okay but he decides against it as he walks off the porch.

Josh wriggles on the couch as he hears the muffled sound of footsteps on his porch. He sits up and tries to untangle himself from the blanket he was sweating to.  And by the time he got to the door, the cold air nipped at his tear stained cheeks and he saw the red beanie boy walking down the sidewalk away from him.

Josh wondered why the boy came to his house, he wondered if he saw the medics outside his house this morning on his way to school, and he wondered why the boy made an attempt to talk to him at his house after school when he didn't show up. He made his way back to the couch and tangled himself back into the covers to get his warmth back. He turned the tv on and Pokémon reruns were on as he feared something would go wrong again if he went back to sleep but he still slowly closed his eyes and drifted off as the loss of blood from earlier still affected him as he hasn't eaten since his poptart this afternoon and his stomach grumbles as he dreamt of delicious food.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this is such a crap chapter. Sorry guys.  
> -Alex


End file.
